The Thief
by Archaeus
Summary: K'vark is a Khajiit assassin, who is prepared to do anything for coin. When he enters Riften for the first time to sell a load of stolen items in the Ragged Flagon, he immediately becomes immersed in a career as a thief.
1. Honor Among Thieves

My name is K'vark. If you are looking for a story of romance and lust, or if your looking for a story about an honest, humble knight who would never steal, cheat, or lie, then go somewhere else. If you are searching for a book about thievery and murder, than friend, you've come to the right place. I am a Khajiit, born in Elsweyr, raised in Elsweyr, but you guessed it, I live elsewhere. Or rather, I live everywhere. I live where ever there is coin to be made, and I know what your going to ask. 'Is this book about you? Are you a thief?' Well yes, dammit, i'm a thief, I'm a killer, and most of all, I'm a liar. Impulsively. Make what you will of this story, choose what you believe or don't.

Chapter 1

I held my dying mother in my arms, crying salty tears that got my fur on my face wetter than a salmon swimming up a waterfall. I was only eleven, then. My father lay dead next to her, bloody and grimy. The bandits had taken his boots and left, only after stabbing my mother in the stomach, and pushing her to the ground.

"Cry not." She pleaded, lightly touching my cheek with her claws. "You will have time for mourning later. Now, you must run."

Her mouth filled with blood, and her yellow Khajiit eyes rolled up into the back of her head. She fell limp, like putty in my arms. I set her on the ground, and did the only thing that I've ever regretted, I ran. I ran, and didn't stop, until I reached home. Arriving there, I took my grandfathers ebony knives, some potions, a map, and some food I could eat on the road.

Those days are behind me, and I've finished my mourning. I've finished my crying, and I've finished my running. Now, the only running I do is to catch my next contract, or from a soldier whom I've just been caught pick-pocketing. And in Skyrim, there are plenty of people to steal from. Usually, the best rewards come from my contracts given to me from the Dark Brotherhood, who took me in when I was fourteen, training me to wield the knives that had been on display in my family's house for over four decades.

"Hey! You!" Shouted a Markarth guard, who had seen me pick the lock to the Markarth Museum. He started to run towards me, but I tucked and rolled through the door and quickly shut it behind me. I could hear him running up the stars, so I put my single-shoulder cape over both shoulers, put up my hood and mask, leaped into the air, and gripped the ceiling with my paws, and the corner of the wall with my feet. I waited there for several seconds, waiting for the guard to open the door. Finally, It opened. He dashed into the room, with his sword out, and shield up. He crouched, and began to inch his way forward.

I dropped.

I landed right on his back, and bashed his face off the floor, knocking him out. Then I noticed what was in the room in front of me. It was the Dwemer Artifacts, right where the blueprints I stole from Calcelmo said it would be. I walked into to room, and examined the display cases. From the looks of it, the most valuable items sat towards the back-center of the room, so I started there. Walking over to a display case, I looked inside.

It was a dwarven greatsword, sure to catch a fair price if I added the right honey too my words. I cut through the glass with my pointer claw, and took it, placing it in my enchanted satchel, which could hold 10 greatswords if I chose to do so. Then I moved on to the next case, and did the same. As I worked, I considered where I should sell my goods. Probably best to do it in the Ragged Flagon, where I would have no chance of being arrested. Or perhaps the College of Winterhold, who simply wouldn't care. They liked having weapons, which they could enchant and sell to travelers.

As I neared the last case, the guard began to wake up. I noticed a change in the atmosphere, and looked up.

"GUARDS!" He shouted.

"Oh for Rajhin's sake." I said. I smashed the last display case, pulled out the dwarven Bow within, and wielded it in my left hand. Then I took the quiver full of arrows, and slung it over my shoulder. I took the cape off my shoulder and let it hang behind me, just as five Markarth guards ran through the door, weapons in hand. There was no way I would make it out of here without some bloodshed. And if blood must be spilled, it may as well be theirs. I nocked two arrows on my bow at once, and fired so quickly, the soldiers had no time to react. Two guards fell over with arrows in their knees. _"That'll make for a good story."_ I thought.

I knocked two more arrows. One hit a guard in the neck, the other hit a guard in the chest, knocking him backwards, and onto the ground. There was now only two left. The one on the ground, and the one charging straight at me, with a greatsword over his head, ready to strike

I pulled out my ebony knives, and crossed them together, taking the full blunt of the greatsword. I slid the two blades up against eachother, and pitched the man backwards, throwing him slightly off balance, as he dropped his greatsword behind his head. I stabbed with my right hand, but he dodged to the left, and pulled out a knife of his own. He stabbed at my back, forcing me to act quickly. I noticed the other guard had his bow in hand, aiming it right at me. I jumped, did a back-flip, and landed behind the guard with the knife, twisting it out of his hands, throwing my left arm around his stomach, and putting my knife to his throat.

"If you don't want to lose a comrade, drop your bow and lay face down on the ground." I said with malice.

He shot.

And killed the guard.

"Fuck!" I shouted. I threw my knife at him, stabbing him in his bow arm, forcing him to drop his bow and fall to the floor. I sprinted forward, pulled it out of his arm, and dashed out the door. As I ran down the stairs, and turned around the corner, three guards went into pursuit. I really didn't feel like fighting them, so I leaped up, landed on the roof of a house, and continued running. As I reached the end of the roof, I tucked, jumped, and landed on the next roof. I continued doing this until I got to the last building, where I jumped, did a front flip, and somersaulted as I hit the ground to break the fall. The two guards by the main gate looked at me confused as I ran out the gate, and down the stairs on the other side.

"Night mother, send me your steed!" I shouted. This got their attention.

"ASSASSIN!" One yelled, charging towards me, as Shadowmere appeared out of nowhere. I leaped onto the saddle, put up my hood and cape, and ordered my horse into a gait, speeding off into the distance.

Three days later, I arrived in Riften. I dismounted from Shadowmere a few miles out, and dismissed him. I had never been there before, so I had no idea what to expect. As I approached the gate, two guards told me to halt.

"To enter the city, you have to pay the visitors tax." Said the guard on the right.

I pulled both my knives out, and threw them both at him. They lodged into the wooden wall on either side of his head, drawing a trickle of blood from each of his ears. I put my forearm on his neck, face close to his.

"If you want to survive this day, you have to empty your purse into my hand."

I stretched my hand out under his chest. He gulped.

"Yes, sir."

He emptied his purse into my paw, and I put the coins in my purse. I put a hand on each knife, and pulled them out of the wood. His comrade watched in shock, as I walked through the gate, and into Riften.

I walked down the cobblestone path within Riften, and realized that I'd never seen such a beautiful city. Just being there made me want to settle down. I dismissed that thought, and walked towards the small bridge that lead toward the meadery. Just as I was about to cross, a human put his hand on my shoulder, and wheeled me around. As he did this, I discreetly pulled one of my knives out and put it against his stomach. He didn't notice, apparently not a very observant man.

"I saw what you did to that guard. You should have paid the fine." He said, putting his hand on his sword hilt. My eyes never strayed from his.

"And you should watch where you put your hands, imperial."

He raised his eyebrow. I pushed a little harder with my knife. He yelped, looking down at the knife that had just barely drawn blood.

"You have a lot of nerve, cat!"

I pushed him backwards with one hand, into a wooden beam. He glared at me, and stalked off. I was beginning to like this city more and more. As I crossed the bridge, I heard a woman in leather talking to a man. She said something about the Thieves Guild. This piked my interest, put I continued on. As I crossed the bridge, a man in Adept robes winked at me. I wasn't sure what to think of this until he spoke.

"I'm a mercenary looking for work, if your looking for help." I waved him off and continued walking. As I approached the market, a man in a black tunic walked up to me.

"You have a lot of coin on you." He said quietly, looking down his nose at me. "But ill bet you didn't earn a septim of it honestly."

"That a problem, Nord?" I said, face expressionless.

"Not at all. Quite the opposite in fact. I have some contacts down in the Ratway, if you know what i'm saying. I need you to steal the silver ring out of the lock-box in that stall over there, and plant it in that mans pocket. Do that, and i'll give a good word out for you."

"You have yourself a deal. Your my kind of scum." The man smirked, and walked over to an archway to cause a distraction.

As he started talking, I put my mask and cape on, and snuck over to the stall the man had pointed at, and went into a crawl, in the way only a Khajiit can. I opened the lock-box easily, and pulled out the silver ring on the inside, and re-locked it with my pick. This was a trick that took a lot of precision, and only master thieves could achieve it. I took off my cape and my mask, as to not attract too much attention, and walked over to the person the man had pointed at. I placed the ring in his pocket, and walked over to the stone wall surrounding the market place, sitting down on it to watch the show. The Argonian named Madesi, walked back to his stall and checked his strongbox. When he noticed the ring was missing, his eyes narrowed. He walked over to the crowd, and over to Bran-Shei, a Dark Elf. I watched as the Argonian spun him around by the shoulder.

"Turn out your pockets, elf!"

Bran-Shei instinctively put his hands to his pockets, and I smirked. I could get used to this kind of work. Bran-Shei's eyes widened as he felt the ring in his pocket, realizing he'd been framed. And then he did the thing that would incriminate him.

He ran.

"GUARDS!" Shouted Madesi. Immediately, three Riften guards chased after him. I looked over at the guards, and prepared to help when the Nord put his hand on my shoulders.

"You've done your duty, friend. The guards will take care of the rest. My name is Brynjolf. Follow me down to the ratway, I will introduce you to the others."


	2. The Thieves Guild

**Hey folks! Thank you so much for reading my story and for all of your reviews. I really love hearing what you guys think, as that is what keeps me writing. Thank you to MyBlueSkye for inspiring me to write and publish. I would really recommend reading her to EricLightScythe for giving me some ideas on how to make my story better. I'm sorry I couldn't get this next chapter in sooner, as I don't have a lot of time to write. Not to mention the severe case of writers block. Also, my apologies for any grammar issues. I hope you like where this story goes, and feel free to inform me on any TES lore I'm incorrect about.**

Chapter 2

I followed Brynjolf out of the market and into the Riften cemetery. I had to wonder whether he was going to try something, so I kept my paws ready just in case. He walked over to what appeared to be the entrance to a mausoleum. There was what appeared to be a stone coffin, with a symbol drawn on the base that looked something like a diamond with a circle in the center. I walked through the archway, and watched as Brynjolf pressed his finger against the symbol, and the floor under the stone coffin began to slide back. It was enough to surprise me, but I didn't let it show. Brynjolf looked over his shoulder, and beckoned for me to follow him down the stone steps.

When we reached the bottom, he pulled a chain with a metal ring, and the floor began to close. We walked through the door, and entered a large round room, which appeared to be an old sewer system that had not been used in years. Truth be told, this room made me feel at home. However, I wasn't sure why. There were people in leather armor loitering about. They had to be members of the Thieves Guild.

"I hope your not going to make me wear that armor." I said, looking down at my bare chest. I always had the philosophy that a good healing potion would be a good enough armor in itself, and I always kept a few on my person.

"Not if you don't want too. Its more of a gift. I have a feeling your current get-up will be a lot more effective anyhow, just as long as you don't get shanked."

I suddenly remembered my heist of the Dwemer Museum.

"I have some stolen Dwemer artifacts to sell, if your looking to buy."

"That was you?!" Said Brynjolf, eyes wide. "Well, I guess I shouldn't be surprised. I saw your work today.

"You heard about it?"

"All of Skyrim's heard about it! Someone empties the most guarded place in Markarth, kills five guards, and escapes over the rooftops? That was the most brilliant heist i've ever heard of!"

"I'm glad you think so." I chuckled.

"Well anyhow, if your looking to sell your loot, I would talk to Tonilia. She's in the Ragged Flagon, just through that door. Mercer will be glad to hear we have such an experienced new recruit. Ill go talk to him while you get yourself acquainted. Meet back here in an hour."

"You bet."

He walked over to an old man in dark leather armor standing behind a desk, who I assumed was the man he called Mercer. Something about the man made my whiskers tingle, and I don't get that feeling often. I walked over to the door Brynjolf had pointed at, and walked through, and into another round room. This one had a bar, and places to sit. Half the room was water, and there was a raised platform with a woman in white leather armor sitting at a table, napping in her chair. I walked over to the table and sat down.

"I know who you are." She said, without ever opening her eyes. I figured she must have people all over Riften and the Ratway, reporting to her.

"Then you know why I'm here." I said, in an equally reticent voice.

"I do." She replied, opening her eyes. "Do you have the artifacts?"

I placed the pouch on the table, and pulled out the artifacts. She stared wide eyed as I pulled out greatswords and shields from the pouch.

"Not even going to ask how you did that. I can pay you 3k in coins for that." This was a far better deal than I expected, but I made sure she didn't know that.

"3.1, or no deal." I said, not blinking. She smirked. I could tell she liked to haggle. I had the strange feeling she would have been insulted had I not tried.

"Ill give you 3050 gold. The other fifty goes to the Guild."

"You have a deal."

She placed the coin purse in the enchanted pouch.

"No need to count. We treat our guild-mates well." I believed her.

I shook her hand, and walked over to the bar for a drink.

"Whats your poison?" Asked the woman sitting next to me.

"Bleach." I hated that expression.

She chuckled. "So you're the new recruit?"

"Call me what you like, but I've done more killing and stealing in the last year than you've done in your lifetime."

"That so? Well, glad to hear it. We could use some new money makers in the Guild. We've been running lower on money than respect these days. Things need to change."

"So I take it the Guild fares poorly?"

"You know it. If you have half the bite to your bark, you'll fit right in. The names Vex."

I shook her hand, and the bartender came over.

"You buying?"

"That depends. Got any Black-Briar mead?"

"You know it. Got enough to knock the toughest Nord on his ass."

"Than you have enough to make me slightly tipsy. I'll have a bottle." I handed him 50 gold coins. He reached under the table, and grabbed a bottle of mead.

"This has been fermenting for five decades. I recommend you wait until you don't have plans before you try this."

"I'll take your word for it." I placed the bottle in my pouch and stood up. I put my fist to my chest in salute, and walked back towards the cistern. On the way there, I felt my whiskers tingle again, but in a different manner than before. This kind of tingling meant danger was approaching from behind, fast.

I closed my eyes. From the tingle in my whiskers, I could tell it was an assassin. I dropped down on my hands, spun around, and tripped the assassin with the back of my shins. I landed on his back with my weapons drawn. For me, the altercation felt like an eternity, but in reality, it happened in less than a second.

I held the assassin down, flipped him over and twisted the knife out of his hand, and held his head against the floor with one paw, and held a knife to his neck with the other. The others heard the ruckus, and came running over. Vex drew her knife, and Tonilia her bow.

"Stand down!" I shouted, with natural command in my voice. I knew I had no right to order these people around, but I was in no mood to mess around. They obeyed, shocked at my tone of voice.

"Who hired you to kill me?" I said calmly, persona changing so quickly, I could sense fear in the hearts of every man and women around me.

"I- I- she d-didn't tell me her n-name!" The man stammered.

"What did she look like?" I asked, still calm.

"I- I don't remember."

I nodded.

"Perhaps this will help you remember!"

I grabbed his hand, and cut off one of his fingers. He screamed in pain, and all the men and women in the Raged Flagon gasped in shock. Vex simply smiled.

"WHAT DID SHE LOOK LIKE!" I screamed.

"She was a Nord! Dressed in Dark Brotherhood armor!" He sobbed. I stood up, picked him up by the scruff of his neck and shoved him against the wall. I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"You go back to Astrid. Tell her she just made the worst mistake of her miserable life." I snarled.

He ran out of the Ragged Flagon, and into the Ratway. Vex continued to smile, almost laughing, getting a scowl from Tonilia.

"What in Oblivion was that?!" Tonilia said to me sharply.

"That, Tonilia, is how our friend here deals with assassins." Said Vex. Tonilia ignored her.

"That isn't how the Thieves Guild operates. We don't torture people!" I stared into Tonilia's eyes, until she looked away.

"Thats how I operate. And this wasn't Thieves Guild business, this was personal."

She stared over my head, at the entrance to the cistern. I felt a tingle in my whiskers, and realized that someone was standing behind me. I turned around to see Mercer Frey.

"He did the right thing. That assassin was from the Dark Brotherhood, as I'm sure you know. The act of sending an assassin to the Ragged Flagon is no less than an act of war, and should be treated as such." I liked the way this man thought, but I saw one flaw in his thinking.

"How could she have known that K'vark was joining the Guild? Surely, this is no more than a mistake. We shouldn't search out violence where there is no need for it." Said Brynjolf.

"Our brother was just attacked. Whether it was intentional or not, I will fight by his side should he plan to seek vengeance."

"I'm with him too." Said Tonilia, which surprised me.

Brynjolf sighed. "So be it. As am I."

Just then a Nord in Iron armor walked into the Ragged Flagon. She wore a helmet with two horns on it, and a duel wielded what appeared to be Akaviri swords. she had a black, curly hair and bright, almost neon green eyes. Those eyes... there was magic in them. Something about this woman made me uneasy, but I could hear that her heartbeat was normal, and she seemed at ease. Not to mention that I couldn't smell any amount of perspiration coming off her, which made it obvious she had no intent to attack anyone here.

"You! Who are you?" Asked Mercer Frey.

"I'm the one who just killed the fifteen Dark Brotherhood assassins preparing to storm in and kill you. Show some respect old man." She said in a high, but fierce voice. So there were more. I instantly liked this woman for more than one reason. One being, she had likely just saved our fur, and two being that she had the guts to stand up to Mercer Frey.

There was silence for a second. Mercer reached out his hand to shake her hand, but looked away. If this woman made him uneasy, then there was a lot to be said for her. She shook his hand, but looked over to me.

"Are you K'vark?"

"I am."

"I figured as much. One of the assassins had your bounty on them. Described you pretty well. Even knew your eye color."

"That's because I am- or was, anyhow- an assassin for the Dark Brotherhood. I was raised by the Dark Brotherhood, and now they've betrayed me."

"Well, there's got to be a reason. Are they scared of you?" She asked.

"Fuck... if they're not, they should be!" Said Brynjolf.

"Anyhow... you here to join the guild, stranger? You look like you'd make a good thief if we got the proper armor on you." Said Mercer. "And besides, if you can take out fifteen Dark Brotherhood assassins, and escape without a scratch on you, we could make good use of you."

"I'll join. Got nothing better to do."

"Brynjolf, show K'vark and-" He paused, looking at the woman in armor. "I don't believe I got your name."

"Lillian of Kvatch."

"Well, Brynjolf, show the new recruits around."

"Got it."

Me, Lillian, and Brynjolf walked out of the Flagon and into the cistern. As soon as we walked in, Brynjolf pointed to the beds.

"This, obviously, is where you sleep. Just pick a bed and drop into it." Lillian nodded.

"I sleep on the floor." I said. Living in the wild as often as I had had grown on me. I was used to sleeping on the ground, and on top of that, blankets moved my fur around, and made it hard to sleep. Brynjolf pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Your joking right?" He said, doubting himself as he asked it.

"Yea, sure." I said, shrugging. Lillian giggled.

Brynjolf led us directly across the cistern to a large door.

"This is the vault. One of us sees you attempting to open it, we kill you on sight." On that happy note, he led us into another room.

"How do you suppose you open it?" Lillian whispered in my ear. She didn't have to get as close as she did. I was a Khajiit. I could hear her heartbeat.

"Two people are required to open it." I said, not bothering to whisper. Knowledge wasn't a crime.

"How did you know that?!" Asked Brynjolf, wide eyed.

"Boy, I may be 24 in human years, but I've been around for 113. If there's a vault I can't enter, I haven't found it yet."

Brynjolf shook his head in dismay, and kept walking. Lillian looked over at me, face unreadable.

We walked through an archway carved in the stone, and into a room where there were targets and dummies getting attacked by other rookies. two of them stopped their training and walked over. One of them, an Imperial wearing his hood, smiled. Lillian was drinking some Nord Mead, not paying attention.

"I heard what you did to that assassin earlier. That was amazing!" Word apparently traveled fast here.

"Uh oh. What did he do?" Asked the Argonian next to him, eyes scanning me up and down.

"I cut two of his fingers off."

Lillian took another sip of the mead, then paused. She burst out in laughter, spitting the mead all over my fur. I hissed, and my hair stood on end as if I had been electrocuted. I hated getting wet.

This only made her laugh harder, and soon she was doubled over laughing. I didn't understand humans...

Brynjolf looked at Lillian uneasily, apparently perturbed by her dark sense of humor. I enjoyed it though; it was a welcome break from normality.

"K'vark, Lillian, I have a job for you, should you choose to accept it. Which you will." Said Mercer behind me. I had been so caught up in the moment, that I hadn't noticed him walk up behind me!

"By Magrus!" I jumped, hair standing up on end again. This caused Lillian to start laughing again.

"You look so fucking ridiculous!" She continued laughing. I pinched the bridge of my nose. Mercer gazed at her imperiously, and she immediately stopped laughing.

"Done?" He asked softly. She nodded.

"There is a caravan of Thalmor weapons and armor going to the Thalmor Embassy in one weeks time. I need you two to go in and hijack it. If you regulate your time right, you can probably stop them before they reach Solitude. Ill have a man ready to drive the cart. He will meet you in Dragonbridge. I wouldn't send you if I didn't think you could do it, I hope you know that."

Something about the way he spoke made me feel he was lying, that he was trying to get rid of us. I made a mental note to inform Lillian of this on the road. I had only just met her, but strangely, she felt like the only person I could trust with this kind of information. Perhaps it was because she was just as new as I was, and didn't share the same loyalty to Mercer as everyone else did.

"Lillian, would you like a set of Thieves Guild leathers?" Asked Brynjolf.

"No. I prefer armor, especially in heavy combat situations."

"Alright. Go make us some money new-bloods."

We walked out of the Cistern and into the Flagon, where we were stopped by Vex.

"K'vark, I have something to show you." She said. I looked at her, curiously.

She pulled out a gold knife with a curved blade, and held it out in front of her.

"I plucked it off of a dragon priest I killed. The college of Winterhold enchanted it to become red hot if the holder goes into combat with it. It'll cut through armor like butter. I figure you'll have more use for it than I will."

I took the knife, testing its balance in my paws. It was heavier than any knives I was used to, but it felt somehow right. It seemed to fit my paw perfectly. I sniffed it... sure enough, it was pure gold. I was surprised she didn't want anything for it.

"It's only fair I give you something in return. Here, this ebony knife belonged to my grandfather. It is well taken care of." I handed it to her.

"Your sure?" She asked, looking concerned.

"Its what he would have wanted." She took the knife, and put it through her belt.

Me and Lillian walked into the Ratway, and I saw the full extent of what she had done to the assassins. It was gruesome. Somehow, she had managed to burn them. I had no clue how, as she didn't appear to be a mage.

"How on Earth-"

"Before we go on, I need to confide in you." She said.

"I have something I need to tell you as well, Lillian."

"Call me Lily... and go on, you first."

"I don't trust Mercer."

"You'd be a fool to. He's a thief, like everyone else here."

"But it's not like that... he seemed to eager to quickly get rid of us, and between you and me, he probably thinks he's sending us on a suicide mission."

She seemed to be thinking on what I said, then she replied.

"I'm prepared to take him out if he betrays us. But best to keep this little bit of information to ourselves."

"Agreed. Ok, your turn."

She peered into my eyes, with a look that made my hair stand on end.

"Have you ever studied Nord lore?" She asked.

"Not in depth. I only know the basics."

"Have you ever heard of something called a Thu'um?"

"By Rajhin! Your not... Dragonborn?" I couldn't believe what I was hearing. This was not something I had expected, or even considered.

"I am."

"Would explain how you burned all those assassins. Should I be hiding this from the Guild?"

"No. We need them to know I'm dangerous, in case they decide to betray us."

"But remember, if they think your dangerous, they'll hit you with all their strength. If they think your just some warrior off the streets, we can pluck them off slowly, and surely." I only saw one error in my logic, but she got there first.

"They already know i'm not your every day warrior. I killed fifteen assassins, and frankly, they're not stupid. They'll wonder why their burned. Honestly is the best policy here, K'vark."

I contemplated this, then nodded.

"Your right. Lets go kill some Thalmor."

 **That was chapter 2 of _The Thief_. Please leave a review, as those are what keep me writing, and if you have any ideas on where you want the story to go, you are invited to private message me.**


	3. Chapter 3

We walked out of the Ratway, up the wooden stairs, and into the streets of Riften. A guard, drinking some water out of a flagon stopped us, and I was afraid we'd have to make a run for it. But it turned out he was a friend of Lily's and he was simply stopping to say hello.

"If it isn't Lillian!" He said, all too loudly.

"Hjaalmar!" Her eyes sparkled. I could tell she liked this man, and if Lily trusted him, that was enough for me.

"Who's your friend?" He said politely.

"This is K'vark. Watch this." She stuck her hand in his cup, and flicked water at me. I made an obnoxious hissing noise, my hair stood on end, and my eyes got wide.

"Lily!" I yelped angrily over her laughter. But I couldn't help smiling, and neither could Hjaalmar.

"Careful Khajiit, she's a handful."

"Thanks for the warning." I said sarcastically.

"So, Lily..." He started, as if not sure how to continue.

"What is it?"

"I'm leaving the guard tomorrow, and leaving to join the Stormcloaks."

She looked down.

"Why the Stormcloaks?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Because I feel I should be able to worship who I please, and that Skyrim should belong to the Nords."

"So what are you going to do? Build a wall around the border?"

"If it makes Skyrim great once more, so be it! The empire expects us to bow to the whims of the Thalmor, and I simply wont be slaves to a population of lesser beings."

"Try to think like the Altmer though. You've been murdering them for hundreds of years. You should understand why many beings, the elves, especially, wouldn't want Talos worshipped. In fact, I have a hard time understanding why Tiber Septim was made a god in the first place. He didn't seem like a good guy, just a conqueror."

He scowled at me, and turned to Lily.

"You should come with me. You don't need this... this _cat_. Join the Stormcloaks, and help us retake Skyrim.

She looked between the two of us, stunned. She turned to Hjaalmar, preparing to speak, but I interrupted.

"Lily, if you go, you will only be used as a weapon. Do you truly want that? Do you truly believe that Skyrim should 'belong' to anyone? Nords will always be the natives, and therefore, they will be respected as such. But do we really need another great war that we will only lose? This war is only a Thalmor distraction to keep you Nords from growing up in numbers before they do, and getting stronger than they will ever be. Elves take 50 years to come of age to fight, whereas we take 16. Don't fall into their trap."

She looked at me, sadly, but I could tell she understood my logic.

"I'm sorry Hjaalmar... but K'vark is right. I hope you come to understand that some day."

He looked at her, eyes narrowed.

"So be it!" He spat on her boot. My claws protruded, and I reached for my new knife.

"GUARDS! THESE TWO ARE THIEVES!" He shouted, and drew his sword.

Lily started to cry. She was in no shape to fight, she was ruined at his betrayal.

"Sit this one out, Lily." I said.

She nodded, and backed away, preparing to observe. As three guards ran up behind Hjaalmar, I drew my knives. I noticed the armored man from before running up to aid the guards. Time to see if that enchantment really worked.

I dashed forward, and stabbed to first man in the gut, and pushed him back. I swung my Dragon Priest knife to parry Hjaalmars greatsword, and watched as the blade grew red hot. When the two blades collided, Hjaalmars sword was cut in half. Hjaalmar quickly reacted, jabbing his broken sword blade forward to stab me. For some reason, the Dragon Preist knife wasn't hot any more, so when I deflected his broken blade, it simply fell out of his hand. He bounced backward as I took a jab at his stomach. The other two guards both swung at my neck at once, so I ducked under the blades, thrust my knife up above my head, and squeezed the handle as the two blades crossed against it. To my surprise, the blade didn't even react. It was as if they had just hit a club. Their swords however, fell out of their hands. I rolled under the guards leg, turned around and cut their Achilles tendons, causing them to fall over in pain. I looked up to see five more guards surround me, and the armored man with them. I knew I wasn't going to defeat them all, so I started towards the armored man.

I felt a piercing pain in my back, and realized I'd been shot. I ignored it, and looked down at my Dragon Preist Knife, which glowed red again. I leaped toward the armored man at top speed, and shoved the red hot dagger through his armor and into his heart. He died instantly. I quickly turned, and sliced the blade off of a guards sword, and stabbed him in between his eyes. I leaped into the air, just to feel another arrow pierce my calf muscle. I lost control of my leap, and fell face first on the ground. The guards were instantly on top of me, punching and kicking. Then they stopped.

"Lets see what happens if we pluck his whiskers out!" Shit, that was going to hurt.

He grabbed a hold on one of my whiskers, and yanked.

"GAAAH!" I screamed. It felt as if I had lost a limb. Albeit, a really small one.

A guard pulled out a dagger, poised to stab me in the chest, when I heard something strange.

"FUS RO DAH!" Shouted Lily.

Instantly, I felt myself pushed by an invisible force, I only rolled a couple of feet however. But the guards flew off of me, and into the wall. I heard bones snapping, and the screams, oh gods the screams...

I stood up, and fell over.

"K'vark! I'm so sorry! I should of helped you!" She cried, and kneeled next to me. Instantly, I felt my bruises disappearing, and my cuts knitting themselves back together. I knew that feeling, I was being healed. A friend of mine in the Dark Brotherhood used to patch me up that way.

Then I realized who was healing me. It was the mage from the Bee and the Barb.

"Thank you friend."

"Of course. You seem to attract trouble, Khajiit. I'm sure you could use a healer in your band. Ill be happy to join if you've got the coin.

I handed him a coin purse.

"This is 1000 Septims. I know you people typically only charge 500, but the extra can go towards potions."

"Thanks! I also specialize in Destruction and Conjuration. I've dabbled in illusion, but only enough to know how to turn invisible." He said.

"I'm glad we'll have your help, sir." Said Lily.

"Just Marcurio will do." He said.

"Lillian." She replied. "And this is K'vark."

I stood up.

"We have to get out of here, before more guards come." I said, looking around at the faces staring at us.

"Lets go." Said Marcurio.

We jogged through the marketplace, past the Bee and the Barb, and over the bridge. I opened the gate, and strode out with Lily and Marcurio on either side of me. When the guards saw me, one of them backed up frightened, and the other one fell over. Lily raised an eyebrow in my direction, which I ignored. I hissed at the guard. He ran away.

When Marcurio saw this, he burst out laughing, and Lily rolled her eyes. _What on Earth did he do to that poor man?_ She was likely thinking.

We walked past the stables, and over to the carriage.

"I can take you to any of the hold capitols."

"Can you take us to Solitude?" Asked Lily.

"That depends, is that a hold capitol? I'm new to Skyrim, not really sure how to get around."

"For Akatosh' sake..." I said, a little too loudly.

"Look, cat, I'm sorry, but you'll just have to show me the way."

Unfortunately, I didn't carry a map on me, as I knew my way around Skyrim better than just about anyone i'd ever met. Marcurio, however, was an Imperial, so it was worth it to assume...

"Marcurio, do you have a map?" I asked, holding out my hand.

"I do." He said, as he pulled a map out of his satchel, and handed it to the driver.

"Thank you friend!" The driver said happily.

"You can keep that. You'll be needing it more than I."

He nodded.

"Climb in back, and we'll be off!"

We all climbed into the carriage and sat down.

"So Marcurio... Your an Imperial, correct?" Asked Lily

"Yes. But I grew up in Morrowind. I take no stand on the Talos issue, if that's what this is about."

"It is and it isn't." I said. He raised an eyebrow.

"Your being cryptic."

"How do you feel about the Thalmor?" Lily asked bluntly.

"The Thalmor! Well... I cant say I totally trust them, but I can't say I disagree with their thinking 100% either." He didn't seem to have any clue where this was going, so I let him have it.

"What would you say if I told you we were going to kill a couple dozen and steal all their cargo?"

"I'd say if that's what your paying me to do, than so be it. I have no qualms with thievery. Elsewise, I wouldn't have been looking for a job in Riften.

"Fair enough. Just making sure."

We talked about our lives growing up, or at least, we talked about Lily's and Marcurios. I tried to avoid talking about my childhood as much as I could. I prefered not to think about it. It turned out Marcurio had grown up in Skyrim, and knew a lot about the culture and the history. He has studied at the college of Winterhold, and was invited to stay as a professor, but he turned down the post because he prefered a life of work to a life of solitude.

Lily, it turned out, had a much more interesting backstory.

"I grew up in the Imperial City, in Cyrodiil." She said. "My father was a member of the Elder Council, and my mother a pit-fighter. She became the champion when I was 11. She taught me all I know about fighting."

"My father kept me by his side while he was at work, and taught me how to be a leader. He hoped that one day I would become an Elder Council member myself."

"So why didn't you?" Asked Marcurio, as if he couldn't imagine giving up that kind of power.

"The war. When the Thalmor attacked the Imperial City, my father went out to join the fight. He fought alongside my mom against the Thalmor. But... they were both killed."

"Good lord... I'm so sorry Lily..." I didn't know what else to say.

"How old were you?" Asked Marcurio.

"I was 17. I'm 24 now."

"What about you, K'vark?" Asked Marcurio.

"My mom was a bottle of skooma and my father was a sabre cat." He raised an eyebrow, and looked ready to reply, but to my great relief, Lily jumped in.

"Marc. Leave it."

We rode on for another few miles, until we came up on a two men dressed in armor unlike any i'd ever seen before. But their helmets...

Their helmets were shaped like a werewolf skull.

"Who are they?" Marcurio asked the driver.

"The Companions. Probably searching for some thief, That's the only reason they'd be anywhere near Riften."

The two men walked up to the cart, and put his hand on the reins.

"We're looking for a Khajiit. He robbed the Dwemer Museum in Markarth. He was described as having leopard spots, and wielding two daggers and a bow."

Marcurio looked over at me, and a spell appeared in his hand. He cast it on me, and I turned invisible. The sensation was so strange, I nearly hissed. My whole body felt wet, only I wasn't.

The driver looked ready to speak, but Marcurio interrupted him.

"We saw him! He was heading in the direction of Whiterun."

"Thats impossible, Imperial. We would have seen him. I think you know where he is, and your going to tell us."

"So be it. But your making a terrible mistake."

My body felt dry again, and I knew I was visible. I jumped off the stopped cart, and landed in front of the Companions. I drew my knives.

The left Companion drew his sword and swung at my head. I jumped above the blade, and pulled the blade out of his hands with my tail. I now was carrying a sword with my tail. This was a trick i'd never tried before, but no better time than the present. I spun with the sword, and decapitated the Companion. As I did this, the other man drew two swords, and started to swing like a madman. He was skilled, I had to admit. I spun around in mid-air, and met his sword with the one in my tail. I landed facing him, and caught his left sword in-between my two knives, twisting it out of his hand. then I dropped the sword, and dove under his legs, immediately standing up behind him, and putting the blade through the back of his neck.

The driver looked down at me, terrified.

"You stay silent, driver, and i'll pay you triple the money I paid for you to take me to Solitude. You speak a word of this, I'll slit your throat and rob you of all of your belongings." He gulped.

"You have my word."

"Good." I said.

I climbed back into the cart, and the driver sped off. We decided to take turns keeping watch while the others slept. I decided I would go first, and get it over with. As a khajiit, I needed about 13 hours of sleep a day to be functional. Plus, I had a slight adrenaline rush from the fight, and my hairs were standing on end. So It would be best to make use of the improved senses while I could. Marcurio and Lily went to sleep while I sat with my legs dangling off the end of the cart. That was hard to do, as I was quite possibly the tallest Khajiit in Skyrim. At 6.8 feet, I was taller even than some Altmer. It was mostly in the legs however.

I watched as we approached Whiterun, and decided it was time to wake Marcurio for his watch. It was about midnight now, and as good as my eyes were in the dark, even I was having trouble now that I was tiring. The cloud-cover made it hard to see. There were northern lights, but they were above the clouds, so you could only see a faint green glow above the clouds.

I stood up, and walked over to the mage.

"Marc. Your up." His eyes popped open. This man slept lightly, i'd have to remember that.

"Alright, when should I wake Lillian?"

"06:00 hours" We said our goodnights, and I laid down on the cart bench. Before I closed my eyes, I saw Marcurio cast a mage-light.

That night I dreamed about the death of my parents, as I did quite often. I watched from the third person as my younger self held my dying mother in our arms. I couldn't help but realize that as I watched, my mother suddenly started to lose her hair, and she stopped appearing as a cat, and turned into a Nord.

But not just any Nord. She was turning into Lily.

I woke up, I jumped up to my feet, gasping for air. Lily jumped, and nearly dropped her sword.

"By Akatosh!" She shouted, waking up Marcurio. "Are you ok?"

"Ill be fine... Bad dream."

We were going through the town of Dragonbridge, where kids were playing, and Imperial soldiers were patroling. Solitude guards in red fabric were patrolling alongside them.

"Look at all these guards... were going to have to distract them if were going to get the shipment anywheres near here." I said, mostly to myself.

"I can take care of that." Said Lily.

"How?" Asked Marcurio.

"I have a shout that conjures the illusion of a gigantic monster. If I conjure the illusion somewhere near Solitude's port, that should cause enough of a distraction."

We arrived at Katla's farm, and the cart stopped.

"Thanks for the ride." I said to the driver. I dropped a pouch with 200 septims in his hand. "For your trouble." I said simply. He nodded.

We walked up the mountain towards the Thalmor embassy. When we were just around a corner from the fortress, we hid in some bushes just off the trail.

"So how are we going to do this?" Asked Marcurio.

"You are going to head up the hill and flank them. Stay off the trail, and keep your head down. I'll let lose a shout that should knock most of the Altmer on their asses, then I want you to hit them with as much lightning as possible. K'vark, do what you do best."

When Marcurio was in position, we waited for about ten minutes. Then we heard the imperious voices of the Thalmor coming towards us. As the Thalmor wagon rounded the corner, I stepped out of the bushes. Lily followed. The wagon stopped, and the Justicar that was with them walked forward.

"I assume you have an invitation from the First Emissary to approach the Thalmor Embassy?" Said the Justicar.

"Whats your name, Altmer?" I asked, feigning curiosity.

"I am Rulindil, aid to First Emissary Elenwen."

"Well Rulindil, I'm afraid your going to have to give up your shipment. See, I need it." His eyes narrowed, and I saw a glint of green in them. He was activating his magic.

I drew my knives with a speed only a Khajiit can accomplish, and stabbed him in the throat. The glint in his eyes slowly diminished, and he fell to the ground.

"FUS, RO DAH!" Shouted Lily. The Thalmor soldiers were flung backward by an invisible force, as a storm atronach appeared around the corner. It began throwing lightning at the Thalmor soldiers, and Marcurio started firing away as well.

"Charge!" Shouted Lily. We ran forward. While Lily fought off two people at once, I threw my Ebony knife at a soldier who was about to blast me with electricity. The blade sunk into his forehead, and he fell over. I pounced on him, and pulled my knife out of his face. Then I gripped my Dragon Priest knife, it glowed red hot, and I slashed through the armor of two Thalmor Soldiers. They didn't die, but they fell over in agony and screamed. By now, Lily had taken out four or five Thalmor, and I decided I should make it even.

I spun around, and threw both knives, both of them sinking into the throats of Thalmor soldiers.

"YOL TOR!" Shouted Lily, incinerating the remaining Thalmor. They screamed in agony as they burned to death under their melting armor. The horse that was pulling the carriage had been killed by the Storm Atronach.

"Stupid Daedra..." Said Marcurio as he walked over to us.

"Don't worry, I have a horse."

"What? How could you possibly have-"

"Night mother, send me your steed." I whispered, although not quietly.

The flaming horse appeared from around the corner instantly, as if he had been waiting there for his master to call.

"I thought you left the Dark Brotherhood?" Said Marcurio.

"I did. But even so, the horse remains loyal to me. And being the listener of the Dark Brotherhood means that the Night Mother is my ally as well."

The horse walked up to me and nuzzled me with its head.

"I missed you to, man." I said, smiling so widely my teeth showed. "So how do you feel about pulling this carriage to Dragonbridge?"

The horse stiffened. I knew that if the horse could talk, he would be telling me to fuck off. Instead, he simply shook his head wildly.

"Come on, guy, we need you. Just to Dragonbridge, then you can go. Ill even give you some fire salts." The horse's mood brightened at this. He began to nod his head. I could tell it took all of Lily's will not to laugh at this scene.

"Alright buddy, just gonna put this harness on you... and... there. You ready?" He looked back at me as if to say, 'you have no clue, do you?'

We climbed onto the riders bench of the cargo carriage. Somehow, all three of us managed to fit. We rode down the hill, and when we turned around the corner, we saw the town of Dragonbridge.

"Alright Lily, do your thing."

"WAHL, SUNVAAR SAH!"

A monster, so big it could have touched solitude from the ocean below, erected near Solitude's port. It took me a minute to convince myself that it was an illusion. The horse, however, was harder to convince. The horse began to panic. I leaned over Shadowmere, and rubbed his mane. I put my mouth to his ear, and whispered to him.

"Its not real, man. Here, have some firesalts. There'll be more in Dragonbridge." I pulled some firesalts that I kept for Shadowmere from my satchel, placed them in the palm of my hand, and held my hand out under Shadowmeres mouth. Lily, most likely expecting him to eat them, watched with a smile.

Shadowmere made an obnoxious snorting noise, and the firesalts up his nose. Lily jumped in surprise, and seemed ready to start laughing. I put my paw over her mouth.

Imperial soldiers began to charge towards the port, leaving Dragonbridge completely undefended.


End file.
